Health

Domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking are critical public health issues worldwide — more prevalent for women than breast cancer and diabetes combined in the United States — and can have long lasting effects on women’s health and the well-being of families and communities:

Pregnant women or those who have recently given birth are more likely to be murdered in the U.S. than die from obstetric causes — such as hypertensive disorders, hemorrhage, or sepsis — due to a deadly mix of domestic violence and gun violence.
Survivors of domestic violence and children raised in violent households are more likely to experience physical and mental health conditions including frequent headaches, depression, anxiety, sleep problems, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Heart Disease, Hypertension, and Asthma.
Human trafficking affects nearly 27.6 million people worldwide, including tens of thousands of people in the US. Involving involving individuals — mostly women and girls — being bought, sold, and forced into labor and/or sexual exploitation and has similar devastating health impacts as IPV

It is because of these devastating statistics that health care community can play a pivotal role in preventing and responding to violence and abuse. However, there was a time when health care providers routinely treated domestic violence survivors and then sent them right back home to face further abuse, without the ability to offer referrals or other help. When few OB/GYNs knew that pregnant women are at vastly elevated risk of homicide, often at the hands of a current or former partner. And when health care providers, who interact with human trafficking victims, were unaware that these crimes occur and were not prepared to respond to victims, survivors, and those at risk.

For over 30 years, FUTURES has led the National Health Initiative on Violence and Abuse, working across sectors to develop programs, research, and policies that respond to the unique health needs of survivors of violence, and prevent violence. Our goal has been to ensure the health care community can become not just allies, but leaders, in the work to end abuse. To support this change, we’ve created tools, trainings, and protocols that allow health care providers to support survivors of violence and trafficking, promote prevention, and advance health care access for all. Through deep partnerships between health and domestic violence programs, we advance local, state and national policies to advance holistic approaches to preventing and responding to violence.

We also promote survivor-centered and trauma-informed strategies to support the needs of survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual assault. Our National Health Initiative on Violence and Abuse includes:

National Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence offers personalized technical assistance, in person and online training, capacity building programs, and an online resource hub at ipvhealth.org, and tools for advocates and healthcare providers to address the intersection of violence and health.
Health Partners on IPV + Exploitation serves 235,000 health center staff across the U.S. + their partners. We offer free clinical education and resources, including an online toolkit, IPVHealthPartners.org, patient and provider education tools as well as field building learning opportunities.
An online store where healthcare providers and advocates can order printable copies of safety cards, posters, and more for free (+ shipping)
A monthly newsletter featuring events, new resources and the latest research on addressing violence as a public health issue.
ACEs Aware Family Resilience Network (UCAAN), FUTURES is directing grants to California groups who are pioneering community-led strategies for healing and prevention from trauma, and connecting families exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACES) to benefits, services and community supports.
Project NACES (No More Adverse Childhood Experiences), is focused on a community often overlooked: farmworkers and their families.

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